We thank Mr Paul Heng for his letter “How organisations can boost volunteerism” (June 3).

Volunteers make valuable contributions to non-profit organisations (NPOs) and social service agencies (SSAs). They augment the efforts of the staff in these organisations.

From our experience, NPOs and SSAs that deploy effective volunteer management (VM) practices, such as having a dedicated volunteer manager, have increased their overall manpower capacity, and provided stronger support for their service users. 

Based on the National Council of Social Service’s (NCSS) findings from the Social Service Sector Survey on VM in 2022, it was ascertained that SSAs with VM practices were twice as likely to retain high-quality volunteers to meet organisational needs as compared to those without.

Filos Community Services is one such example. The SSA, which operates the SG Cares Volunteer Centre @ Bedok with dedicated volunteer managers, has enhanced its volunteer experience through regular appreciation and communication efforts, leading to better volunteer satisfaction.

NCSS has also been working with NPOs and SSAs to build strong VM capabilities in their processes and systems to deliver better services.

The Volunteer Resource Hub of NCSS, in partnership with the SG Cares Office, is a one-stop portal with relevant resources for NPOs and SSAs.

These include the VM Maturity Matrix, to ascertain strengths and gaps in VM practices and implement recommendations to better plan and engage volunteers, as well as the VM Toolkit for practical tools and guidelines.

We are heartened by Mr Heng’s dedication to volunteering, and hope to see more volunteers taking their first step to contribute to NPOs and SSAs.

NCSS will continue to engage relevant stakeholders and leverage their strengths to collectively grow and sustain the volunteerism movement in Singapore. Together, we can build a more caring and inclusive society.

Priscilla Gan

Director, Volunteer Resource Optimisation

National Council of Social Service